Georgian president won't recognize parliamentary election result and calls public protests

EMMA BURROWS
Updated Sun, October 27, 2024

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia’s president said Sunday she did not recognize the results of this weekend’s parliamentary vote, which election officials say was won by the ruling party, adding that the country fell victim to a “Russian special operation” aimed at moving it off a path toward Europe.

Standing alongside opposition leaders, President Salome Zourabichvili urged Georgians to rally Monday night on Tbilisi’s main street to protest what she called a “total falsification, a total stealing of your votes,” raising the prospect of further political turmoil in the South Caucasus nation.

She spoke the day after an election which could decide whether Georgia embraces Europe or falls under the sway of Russia.

“This election cannot be recognized, because it is the recognition of Russia’s intrusion here, Georgia’s subordination to Russia,” Zourabichvili said.

The Central Election Commission said Sunday that the ruling party, Georgian Dream, got 54.8% of Saturday’s vote with almost 100% of ballots counted.

Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on freedom of speech. Brussels suspended Georgia’s EU membership process indefinitely because of a Russian-style “foreign influence law,” passed in June. Many Georgians viewed Saturday’s vote as a referendum on the opportunity to join the European Union.

The election campaign in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people, which borders Russia, was dominated by foreign policy and marked by a bitter fight for votes and allegations of a smear campaign.

Zourabichvili suggested “Russian elections” were held in the country, and said “technology was used to whitewash counterfeiting. Such a thing has never happened before.”

European electoral observers said the election took place in a “divisive” environment marked by intimidation and instances of vote buying, double voting and physical violence.

During the campaign, Georgian Dream used “anti-Western and hostile rhetoric ... promoted Russian misinformation, manipulations, and conspiracy theories,” said Antonio López-Istúriz White, the head of the European Parliament monitoring delegation.

“Paradoxically, the government further claimed that it was continuing Georgia’s European integration,” he added.

The conduct of the polls, he said, is more evidence that points to the ruling party’s “democratic backsliding.”

President of the European Council Charles Michel said he called on Georgia’s officials to “swiftly, transparently and independently investigate” the electoral irregularities and called on the ruling party to demonstrate its “firm commitment” to the EU.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who is a member of Georgian Dream, on Sunday described his party's victory as “impressive and obvious,” and said “any attempts to talk about election manipulation ... are doomed to failure.”

Hungary’s Victor Orbán was the first foreign leader to congratulate Georgian Dream and will be the first foreign leader to visit Georgia and meet the prime minister when he visits the capital for a visit Monday and Tuesday.

Georgian electoral observers, who were stationed across the country, also reported multiple violations and said the results do not reflect “the will of the Georgian people.”

In the capital Tbilisi, Tiko Gelashvili, 32, said, “The results that were published are just lies and rigged.”

Initial figures suggested turnout in the vote was the highest since Georgian Dream was first elected in 2012.

The United National Movement opposition party said its headquarters were attacked on Saturday while Georgian media reported two people were hospitalized after being attacked outside polling stations.

“The most important question is whether or not these elections will be recognized by the international community,” said Natia Seskuria, executive director of the Regional Institute for Security Studies in Tbilisi. Georgia’s “economic and political prospects” hinge on the election, she said.

Georgians have a complex relationship with Russia, which ruled it from Moscow until Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia and Georgia fought a short war in 2008, and Moscow still occupies 20% of Georgia’s territory.

Despite that, Georgian Dream has adopted Russia-style laws and many Georgians fear the government is distancing the country from the West and into Moscow’s orbit.

The election observers said instances of intimidation and electoral violations were particularly noticeable in rural areas.

Georgian Dream scored its highest share of the vote — polling almost 90% — in the Javakheti region of southern Georgia, 135 kilometers (83 miles) west of the capital. In Tbilisi, it got no more than than 44% of the vote in any district.

Javakheti is predominantly agricultural and many people are ethnic Armenians who speak Armenian, Russian and limited Georgian. Before the election, the AP traveled to the region where voters suggested they were instructed how to vote by local officials. Several questioned why Georgia needed a relationship with Europe and suggested it would be better off allied with Moscow.

—

Associated Press journalists Sophiko Megrelidze, in Tbilisi, and Raf Casert, in Brussels, contributed to this report

Georgia’s pro-EU opposition calls for protest over ‘rigged’ election result

Pjotr Sauer
Sun 27 October 2024

Salome Zourabichvili called on Georgians to protest against the parliamentary victory of the ruling, Russia-aligned Georgian Dream party.Photograph: Kostya Manenkov/AP


Georgia’s pro-western opposition has called on the country to protest on Monday against the disputed parliamentary victory of the ruling, Russia-aligned Georgian Dream (GD) party.

GD retained power in Saturday’s pivotal election that dealt a significant blow to the country’s long-held aspirations for EU membership, amid allegations of voter intimidation and coercion.

The opposition refused to concede defeat and accused the ruling party of a “constitutional coup”, setting the stage for a potential political crisis that could further polarise the Caucasus country.


At a press conference organised by the opposition on Sunday evening, Georgia’s pro-EU president, Salome Zourabichvili, declared that she did not recognise the election results and asserted that the country had fallen victim to a “Russian special operation”.

Zourabichvili, whose role is largely ceremonial, called on Georgians to protest against the results on Monday evening. “This was a total rigging, a total robbery of your votes,” she said.

The electoral commission announced on Sunday that GD secured 54% of the vote, winning 89 seats in the parliament – one fewer than in 2020. Four pro-western opposition parties collectively won a total of 61 seats.

The result thwarts the opposition’s hopes for a pro-western coalition of four blocs and in effect stalls the country’s aspirations for EU integration.

Voters in the country of almost 4 million people had headed to the polls on Saturday in a watershed election to decide whether the increasingly authoritarian GD, which has been in power since 2012 and steered the country into a conservative course away from the west and closer to Russia, should get another four-year term.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the shadowy billionaire founder of GD, claimed victory shortly after polls closed in what has been called the most consequential election since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

“It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people,” said Ivanishvili, widely considered to be the country’s most powerful figure.

For the past three decades, Georgia has maintained strong pro-western aspirations, with polls showing up to 80% of its people favour joining the EU. In recent years, however, the government has increasingly shifted away from the west in favour of Russia, showing reluctance to condemn Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

An international observer mission on Sunday said the conduct of the election was evidence of “democratic backsliding” in the country.

A preliminary report by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said it “noted reports of intimidation, coercion and pressure on voters, particularly on public sector employees and other groups, raising concerns about the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution”.

However, it stopped short of saying the elections had been stolen or falsified – a claim the opposition reiterated on Sunday.

On Saturday morning, several videos circulated online appearing to show ballot stuffing and voter intimidation at various polling stations across Georgia.

Electoral commission data showed GD winning by suspiciously big margins of up to 90% in some rural areas, though it underperformed in bigger cities.

Western officials have expressed concern over reports of election fraud, though they too have used cautious language and refrained from calling for a boycott of the results. The European Council president, Charles Michel, on Sunday pushed for a swift and transparent investigation into alleged irregularities during the election.

It remains unclear if the opposition will be able to galvanise enough support in the coming days. Last spring, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest a controversial “foreign agents” bill that critics argued was designed to stifle the country’s media and NGOs. Those protests gradually faded after a police crackdown and a series of arrests.

The election result suggests GD retains support from a core group of Georgian voters, particularly in industrial heartlands and conservative, poorer regions where economic progress has been slow and the appeal of Europe feels distant and faint.Interactive

GD received congratulations from several foreign leaders including Hungary’s hard-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a longtime ally of Ivanishvili, who is scheduled to visit Tbilisi on Tuesday.

GD has been accused by critics at home and abroad of plans to move the country in an authoritarian direction after Ivanishvili vowed to ban all the leading opposition parties and remove opposition lawmakers if his party was re-elected.

The party was facing an unprecedented union of four pro-western opposition forces that had vowed to form a coalition government to oust it from power and put Georgia back on track to join the EU.

The biggest opposition force is the centre-right UNM, a party founded by Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president who is in prison on charges of abuse of power that his allies say are politically motivated. From jail, Saakashvili called on Georgians to take the streets.

In the aftermath of the elections, voters in Tbilisi seemed divided over the country’s future course. Ana Machaidze, a 25-year-old student, said: “We have lost our country today. I don’t know what to do next. I hope we can take to the streets, but if we lose, maybe I will live abroad.”

Support for the pro-western opposition groups generally came from urban and younger voters, who envision their political future with the EU.

Irakli Shengelia, 56, a restaurant worker, said he was glad GD would remain in power because the party guaranteed “peace and stability” with Russia.

The government, aligned with the deeply conservative and influential Orthodox church, has sought to galvanise anti-liberal sentiments by campaigning on “family values” and criticising what it portrays as western excesses.

In the summer, the parliament passed legislation imposing sweeping restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights – a move that critics say mirrored laws enacted in neighbouring Russia, where authorities have implemented a series of repressive measures against sexual minorities.

In Russia, the election results were widely welcomed. As the results trickled in, state propaganda celebrated the outcome, with Margarita Simonyan, the influential editor-in-chief of the state media outlet RT, declaring that “the Georgians had won”.

In this photo taken from video, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, center, surrounded by opposition leaders speaks to the media after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the created by him the Georgian Dream party greets demonstrators during a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE - Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, leader of the created by him the Georgian Dream party gestures greeting demonstrators during a rally in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov, File)ASSOCIATED PRESS

From left, Nika Melia, Nika Gvaramia, leaders of Coalition for Changes, and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, react while talking to journalists at coalition's headquarters after polls closing at the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elene Khoshtaria, chair of United National Movement, center, speaks to the media, accompanied by Zurab Japaridze, chairman of the Girchi More Freedom party, left; Nika Melia, a leader of Coalition for Changes, second left; Nika Gvaramia, leader of Coalition for Changes, second right, and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, at the coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elene Khoshtaria, chair of United National Movement, speaks to the media at the coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, early Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nika Gvaramia, leader of Coalition for Changes, left, speaks to the media as and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, stands near, at coalition's headquarters after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili attends an opposition rally ahead upcoming next week parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this photo taken from video released by Georgian Dream Party on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addresses after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia. (Georgian Dream Party via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this photo released by Georgian Presidential Press Office, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, center, speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (Georgian Presidential Press Office via AP)

Georgia Election

In this photo taken from video, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, left, speaks to the media as speaks to the media as and Nana Malashkhia, who leads the Coalition for Change parliament list, right, stands near, after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Kostya Manenkov)ASSOCIATED PRESSMore

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Key Takeaways

Georgia's president rejects parliamentary election results, accusing ruling party of Russian interference and vote manipulation.

European observers report instances of intimidation, vote buying, and violence during Georgia's election, raising concerns about democratic backsliding.

Georgian Dream party wins election with 54.8% of the vote, prompting allegations of fraud and further political turmoil in the country.

Georgia's jailed ex-president says Putin's Russia is not ready for a new 'hot' war

DAVID BRENNAN
Sat, October 26, 2024 a

Georgia's Saturday parliamentary elections have been cast by all parties as an era-defining moment for the country's 3.8 million people.

For one of the country's best known men, the results of the election could mean the difference between incarceration and freedom.

Former President Mikheil Saakashvili, 56, has been jailed since 2021 on charges of abuse of power and organizing an assault on an opposition lawmaker -- charges he contends are politically motivated.

"My imprisonment is purely political and everyone knows that," Saakashvili told ABC News in an interview conducted from his prison cell via intermediaries. "Once the politics changes, it will be finished."

PHOTO: In this Sept. 23, 2008 file photo President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili addresses the 63rd annual United Nations General Assembly meeting at UN headquarters in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images, FILE)More

MORE: War or peace? Russia’s wrath hangs over Georgia elections

Saturday's election will pit the Moscow-leaning Georgian Dream government against several pro-Western opposition parties, among them the United National Movement party founded by Saakashvili in 2001.

Among the UNM's priorities, if it wins power as part of a pro-Western coalition, will be to free Saakashvili.

The campaign has been fraught with allegations of meddling and political violence on behalf of GD. The opposition is hoping to mobilize a historic turnout to defeat what they say are GD efforts to undermine the contest.

"The only recipe for tackling election meddling is erecting the wall of mass turnout at the ballot box," Saakashvili said.

People power has proved a serious problem for GD in recent years. Mass protests defeated the government's first effort to introduce a foreign agents registration law -- which critics say was modeled on Russian legislation used to criminalize Western-leaning politicians, activists and academics -- in 2023.

The government pushed the legislation through again in 2024 despite renewed and intense demonstrations.

Opponents credit GD founder, former prime minister and Georgia's richest man -- Bidzina Ivanishvili -- as the mastermind behind what they say is the government's authoritarian and pro-Moscow pivot, though the billionaire does not hold an official position.

Saakashvili said Ivanishvili -- who made his fortune in Russia after the Soviet collapse -- and the GD party "will go as far as it takes" to retain power this weekend, "but the question will be once they lose the elections if the government structures follow the orders from the oligarch," he added, referring to Ivanishvili.

PHOTO: Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili attends the final campaign rally of the ruling Georgian Dream party in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 23, 2024. (Giorgi Arjevanidze/AFP via Getty Images)

Ivanishvili and his party are framing the vote as a choice between war and peace. A new Western-led government, they say, will put Tbilisi back on the path to conflict with Russia, reviving the bloodshed of the 2008 war that saw Moscow cement its occupation of 20% of Georgian territory.

"It is straight from the Russian playbook," Saakashvili said of the GD warnings. "Blaming victims for aggression against them. As far as we are concerned, real security and peace is associated with being part of Euro-Atlantic structures, and European Union membership is within reach." Georgia received EU candidate status in 2023.

The latest polls suggest that GD will emerge as the largest party, but will fall significantly short of a parliamentary majority. A grand alliance of pro-EU and pro-NATO opposition parties, though, could get past the 50% threshold to form a new governing coalition.

"Polls are a very treacherous thing in authoritarian systems," Saakashvili said. "Moldova's recent example shows that polls get compromised by mass vote buying, and surely that will be the case in Georgia."

"On the other hand, those that say to pollsters that they are voting for the government very often don't say the truth," he added.

PHOTO: A man holds a Georgian flag during an opposition rally ahead of the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Shakh Aivazov/AP)

Saakashvili's 2021 imprisonment marked the nadir of a 20-year political rollercoaster. Saakashvili went from the much-loved leader of Georgia's pro-Western Rose Revolution in 2003 to being vanquished by President Vladimir Putin's Russian military machine by 2008.

By 2011, Saakashvili's government was itself accused of violently suppressing protests, with the president soon also embroiled in human rights and corruption scandals.

Constitutionally barred from serving three consecutive terms, Saakashvili left Georgia after the 2013 presidential election and in 2018 was convicted in absentia on abuse of power and other charges.

A Ukrainian citizen -- his citizenship was revoked by President Petro Poroshenko in 2017 before being restored by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019 -- Saakashvili went on to serve as governor of the Odessa region from 2015 to 2016. Zelenskyy appointed Saakashvili as the head of the executive committee of the National Council of Reforms in 2020.

Saakashvili returned to Georgia in October 2021 as the country prepared for local elections. He was arrested and detained by police.

His domestic and international allies have repeatedly condemned his imprisonment, raising concerns of his ill treatment and subsequent ill health. U.S. and European Union officials have also urged Tbilisi to do more to ensure Saakashvili's fair treatment.

PHOTO: Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appears in court in Tbilisi, Georgia on Nov. 29, 2021. (Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters/Pool/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE)

He has been hospitalized while in prison -- once due to a hunger strike -- and his gaunt appearance during a 2023 video conference court hearing prompted Zelenskyy to summon the Georgian ambassador in Kyiv to complain.

Saakashvili broadly blames Putin for his current situation. But he believes Moscow is not necessarily in a position to prevent a pro-Western pivot in Tbilisi.

"In 2008, the war happened after the West had sent a clear sign of weakness by refusing the NATO accession for Georgia and Ukraine," Saakashvili said.

"If there is no hesitation this time, Russia is so stuck in Ukraine that it has no motivation to create a new hot war elsewhere."

"We have no other choice," he responded, when asked about the risks of perturbing the Kremlin. "The only other alternative is going back," he said, "living in the Russian sphere of influence."

As to his own plans if indeed he is freed, Saakashvili described himself as "a regional rather than purely Georgian leader."

"I will help any next non-oligarch government with transition by advice," he added, but said he will not seek any official position of power.

"And of course, I am a Ukrainian national and it is my duty to stand by Ukraine."

PHOTO: Supporters of Georgia's pro-Western and pro-European Union opposition groups hold a rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters)

EU leader denounces Russia's 'hybrid war' aiming to destabilize Western Balkan democracies

Associated Press
Updated Sat, October 26, 2024


European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen listens to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a news conference at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)ASSOCIATED PRESS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference after talks with Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic in Podgorica, Montenegro, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, right, shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Podgorica, Montenegro, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday denounced Russia's hybrid attacks against democracies, saying the European Union is fighting daily to debunk misinformation.

Von der Leyen was in Kosovo as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans to assure them that enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc.

Von der Leyen denounced Russia's efforts “to destabilize these democracies,” adding that Brussels works to unveil propaganda “to the benefit of a whole region.”

“It is possible for us to stand up with the truth and with transparency and with very clear messaging. So here we are really countering a hybrid attack that Russia is leading against democracies,” she said at a news conference in the capital, Pristina.

Von der Leyen came to Kosovo from neighboring Serbia, which has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

She did not mention the 13-year-old EU-led dialogue to normalize ties between Serbia and its former province, Kosovo, instead focusing on EU efforts to develop the region's economy.

Kosovo-Serbia ties remain tense, even 25 years after NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 that ended a war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in Kosovo, which left about 13,000 people dead, mainly ethnic Albanians. Kosovo proclaimed independence in 2008, which Belgrade has not recognized.



Last year EU officials offered a 6-billion-euro (about $6.5 billion) growth plan to the Western Balkan countries in an effort to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate their efforts to join the bloc. That aid is contingent on reforms that would bring their economies in line with EU rules.

The Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages in their applications for EU membership. The countries have been frustrated by the slow pace of the process, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has propelled European leaders to push the six to join the bloc.

The Commission on Wednesday approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following a green light from EU member states. That was a key step to allow payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform steps.

Von der Leyen's trip concluded with a visit to small Montenegro, a NATO member state which is seen as the first in line for EU membership. Von der Leyen praised Montenegro's effortson the EU path, saying “we are now closing one chapter after another.”



Montenegro's government is a cohabitation between pro-EU and pro-Russian factions. Von der Leyen urged unity in the divided nation to achieve progress toward EU membership.

“I want to assure you that, like in my first mandate, enlargement will be at the top of the political agenda for the next five years," said von der Leyen. “We have now all the necessary tools, all the necessary instruments in place, so let’s make it happen, let’s make it a reality, and work towards this common goal.”

___

AP writer Predrag Milic contributed from Podgorica, Montenegro.

EU leader praises Serbia for its advances in EU membership bid despite growing Russian influence

DUSAN STOJANOVIC
Updated Fri, October 25, 2024

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after a news conference at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday praised the Serbian president for meeting her and other European Union leaders instead of attending a Russia-organized summit of developing economies held earlier this week.

Serbia has close ties to Russia and has refused to join international sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. In a telephone conversation Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said EU candidate Serbia would maintain its stance on sanctions, notwithstanding EU and other Western pressure.

However, despite Putin's invitation, Vucic did not attend a three-day summit of the BRICS group of nations, led by Russia and China, which took place in the Russian city of Kazan earlier this week. Leaders or representatives of 36 countries took part in the summit, highlighting the failure of U.S.-led efforts to isolate Russia over its actions in Ukraine.

Vucic sent a high-level delegation to the meeting, but said he could not attend himself because he had scheduled meetings with von der Leyen and Polish and Greek leaders. There are fears in the West that Putin is plotting trouble in the volatile Balkans in part to shift some of the attention from its invasion of Ukraine.

“What I see is that the president of the Republic of Serbia is hosting me here today and just has hosted the prime minister of Greece and the prime minister of Poland. That speaks for itself, I think," von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Vucic.

“And for my part, I want to say that my presence here today, in the context of my now fourth trip to the Balkan region since I took office, is a very clear sign that I believe that Serbia’s future is in the European Union," she said.

Vucic said he knows what the EU is demanding for eventual membership — including compliance with foreign policy goals — but did not pledge further coordination.



“Of course, Ursula asked for much greater compliance with EU’s foreign policy declaration," he said. “We clearly know what the demands are, what the expectations are.”

Von der Leyen was in Serbia as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans to assure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc. From Serbia, von der Leyen will travel to neighboring Kosovo and Montenegro.

Serbian media reported that von der Leyen refused to meet with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic because of his talks Friday with a high-level Russian economic delegation, which was in Belgrade to discuss deepening ties with Serbia. Vucic will meet the Russian officials on Saturday.

In Bosnia on Friday, von der Leyen promised support for the deeply split Balkan country which is struggling with the reforms needed to advance toward EU membership.

The Western Balkan countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages in their applications for EU membership. The countries have been frustrated by the slow pace of the process, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has propelled European leaders to push the six to join the bloc.

Bosnia gained candidate status in 2022. EU leaders in March agreed in principle to open membership negotiations, though Bosnia must still do a lot of work.

“We share the same vision for the future, a future where Bosnia-Herzegovina is a full-fledged member of the European Union,” said von der Leyen at a joint press conference with Bosnian Prime Minister Bojana Kristo. “So, I would say, let’s continue working on that. We’ve gone a long way already, we still have a way ahead of us, but I am confident that you’ll make it.”

Last year EU officials offered a 6-billion-euro (about $6.5 billion) growth plan to the Western Balkan countries in an effort to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate their efforts to join the bloc. That aid is contingent on reforms that would bring their economies in line with EU rules.


The Commission on Wednesday approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following a green light from EU member states. That was a key step to allow payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform steps.

However, Bosnia's reform agenda has still not been signed off by the Commission.

“The accession process is, as you know, merit-based … we do not look at a rigid data but we look at the merits, the progress that a country is making,” said von der Leyen. "The important thing is that we have an ambitious reform agenda, like the other five Western Balkan countries also have. We stand ready to help you to move forward.”

Long after a 1992-95 ethnic war that killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless, Bosnia remains ethnically divided and politically deadlocked. An ethnic Serb entity — one of Bosnia's two equal parts joined by a common government — has sought to gain as much independence as possible.

Upon arrival in Bosnia, von der Leyen on Thursday first went to Donja Jablanica, a village in central Bosnia that was devastated in recent floods and landslides. The disaster in early October claimed 27 lives and the small village was virtually buried in rocks from a quarry located on a hill above.

Von der Leyen said the EU is sending an immediate aid package of 20 million euros ($21 million) and will also provide support for reconstruction later on.

—-

AP writer Jovana Gec contributed from Belgrade.

'We will do our best to accelerate our European path,' Serbia's Vučić says

Euronews
Fri, October 25, 2024 at 10:44 AM MDT



European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade on Friday to discuss Serbia's path toward the European Union.

“Europe remains strongly committed to the European future of Serbia,” von der Leyen said after meeting with Vučić.

"In times of conflicts and wars and turmoil, being a member of the European Union is a promise of peace and prosperity, and it is a promise that we can deliver together," she added.



The Commission President was in Serbia as part of a trip this week to aspiring EU member states in the Western Balkans, aiming to reassure them that EU enlargement remains a priority for the 27-nation bloc.

Earlier on Friday she visited Bosnia where she promised support for the troubled Balkan nation as it struggles with reform needed to advance toward membership in the European Union.

The Western Balkans countries — Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are at different stages in their applications for EU membership.

The countries have expressed frustration over the slow pace of the process; however, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has prompted European leaders to encourage the six nations to join the bloc.

Related
'Without Serbia EU is not complete,' Polish PM Donald Tusk says

Last year EU officials offered a €6 billion growth plan to the Western Balkan countries in an effort to double the region’s economy over the next decade and accelerate their efforts to join the bloc.

That aid is contingent on reforms that would bring their economies in line with EU rules.

Vučić on Friday said Serbia would "give our best" to "accelerate" its path to joining the EU. Serbia became an EU candidate country in 2012.

The Commission on Wednesday approved the reform agendas of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia following a green light from EU member states. It was a key step to allow payments under the growth plan upon completion of agreed reform steps.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reviews the honor guard with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic during a welcome ceremony at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)ASSOCIATED PRESS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smiles during a joint news conference with the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik attend a meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)ASSOCIATED PRESS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a joint news conference with the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Members of the Bosnian Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic, left, Denis Becirovic, center and Zeljko Komsic, right, pose for a photo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, prior to the start of their meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)ASSOCIATED PRESS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)ASSOCIATED PRESS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives at a news conference after talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at the Serbia Palace in Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)ASSOCIATED PRESS

High-stakes vote decides Georgia's future path in Europe

Paul Kirby - Europe digital editor
Sat, October 26, 2024 

Pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili said she was confident the vote would bring about the future Georgians prayed for [BBC]

Georgians are going to the polls to decide whether to end 12 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, in an election that will decide their future path towards the European Union.

Georgia borders Russia and the governing Georgian Dream party is accused by the opposition of moving away from the West and back into Russia's orbit. The EU has frozen Georgia's EU bid because of "democratic backsliding".

"I voted for a new Georgia," said pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili.

Saturday's vote has been described as the most crucial since Georgians backed independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. There were reports of scuffles and vote violations as tempers flared at polling stations.

About 3.5 million Georgians are eligible to vote until 16:00 GMT in this high-stakes election that the opposition is calling a choice between Europe or Russia, but which the government frames as a matter of peace or war.

Georgian Dream is widely expected to come first, but four opposition groups believe they can combine forces to remove it from power and revive Georgia's EU process.

Four out of every five voters are said to back joining the EU in this South Caucasus state, which fought a five-day war with Russia in 2008.

It was only last December that the EU made Georgia a candidate. But that process was halted after the government passed a Russia-style law that requires groups to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power" if they receive 20% of funding from abroad.

Politics here has become increasingly bitterly polarised, as Georgian Dream, under the guiding force of Georgia's richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, seeks a fourth term of power.

The Mother of Georgia sculpture welcomes visitors with a bowl of wine, but holds a sword to symbolise Georgia's independence [Matthew Goddard/BBC]

If Ivanishvili's party wins a big enough majority, he has vowed to ban opposition parties, notably the biggest, the United National Movement.

Georgian Dream, known as GD, is set to win about a third of the vote according to opinion polls, although they are widely seen as unreliable. If GD is to be unseated, all four of the main opposition groups will have to win upwards of 5% of the vote to qualify for the 150-seat parliament.

Ivanishvili's rhetoric has become increasingly anti-Western and, after voting in Tbilisi, he told reporters that Georgians had a simple choice of either a government that served them, or an opposition of "foreign agents, who will carry out only the orders of a foreign country".

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the guiding force behind Georgia's governing party, says "foreign agents" are seeking to control his country [BBC]

President Zourabichvili has been outspoken in her backing for a broad opposition coalition government to end "one-party rule in Georgia". As she voted she said there would be people "who are victorious, but no-one will lose".

She has agreed a charter with the four big groups so that if they win, a technocrat government will fill the immediate vacuum. It would then reverse laws considered harmful to Georgia's path to the EU and move to snap elections.

Tina Bokuchava, who's chair of the biggest opposition party, United National Movement, insists all credible polls put the opposition ahead.

"What [Bidzina] Ivanishvili doesn't understand is that democracy is about choices. The cycle of political retribution has to end", Source: Tina Bokuchava, Source description: Chair of opposition United National Movement, Image: Tina BokuchavaMore

But while Georgian Dream tells voters they are still on course to join the EU, it has also warned them an opposition victory will trigger war with Russia.

Party billboards show split pictures of devastated cities in Ukraine alongside tranquil Georgia, with the slogan: "No to war! Choose peace."

GD claims the opposition will help the West open a new front in Russia's war in Ukraine, while Georgian Dream will keep the peace with its Russian neighbour, which still occupies 20% of its territory after the 2008 war.

Georgian Dream's national billboard campaign includes pictures showing devastation in Ukraine [Matthew Goddard/BBC]

Although the governing party's claim is unfounded and its billboards have been widely condemned, its message appears to have got through.

In Kaspi, an industrial town to the north-west of Tbilisi, one woman aged 41 told the BBC: "I don't like Georgian Dream, but I hate the [opposition United] National Movement - and at least we'll be at peace."

Another woman called Lali, 68, said the opposition might bring Europe closer, but they would bring war too.

Election observers have reported a number of violations at polling stations, including ballot stuffing and a physical attack on an opposition political figure in Marneuli, south of Tbilisi.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy said observers had reported violations at 9.1% of polling stations. On the eve of the vote it said people's ID cards had been seized, and pointed to Russian-sponsored disinformation operations.

[BBC]

The BBC spoke to one voter, Aleksandre, in a village north-west of the capital who said he had been threatened by a local GD man with losing his job if he did not sign up to vote for Georgian Dream: "I'm a bit scared of his threat but what can I do?"

Georgian Dream maintains it has made elections more transparent, with a new electronic system for vote counting.

"For 12 years we have an opposition that questions the legitimacy of Georgia's government constantly. And that's absolutely not a normal situation," says Maka Bochorishvili, GD's head of the parliament's EU integration committee.

Maka Bochorishvili says once Georgian Dream wins a fourth term it will sit down with the EU and find a way forward [BBC]

Critics say in some places there is a genuine fear that the vote is not really secret.

"All this speculation about forcing people to vote for certain political parties - at the end of the day you're alone and casting your vote, and electronic machines are counting that vote," said Bochorishvili.

Not far from the centre of Tbilisi, Vano Chkhikvadze points to graffiti daubed in red on the walls and ground outside his office at the Civil Society Foundation.

After the "foreign influence" law was passed, in the face of mass protests in the centre of Tbilisi and other big cities, he says he was personally labelled by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze as a state traitor.

"We were getting phone calls in the middle of the night. Our kids even were getting phone calls. They were threatened."

Ahead of the vote, the EU warned that Georgian Dream's actions "signal a shift towards authoritarianism".

Whoever wins, the loser is unlikely to accept defeat easily.

High voter turnout in Georgia's pivotal parliamentary elections

Evelyn Ann-Marie Dom
Sat, October 26, 2024 


There are long queues at Georgia's polling stations and ballot boxes as the country votes in what could be its most pivotal parliamentary elections to date.

As the ruling Georgian Dream government faces off with the coalition of pro-European Union parties, the elections will decide if Georgia is bringing an end to 12 years of increasingly authoritarian rule and will head down a path towards joining the European Union, or if they are to face increased Russian influence.

The ruling Georgia Dream party faces four main opposition parties: United National Movement, Strong Georgia, Coalition for Change and Gakharia for Georgia.

The Georgian population will elect 150 members to parliament through a proportional representation system, of which only the political parties that surpass the 5 per cent election threshold will be represented in the legislative body.
High voter turnout

In total 3,508,294 Georgians who are registered to vote can cast their ballot at 3,111 polling stations. At 5PM local time (3PM CET), data by the Central Electoral Commission showed that Georgia's voter turnout stood at 50.6 per cent.

That is just over five per cent higher than in 2020, where the voter turnout stood at 45.8 per cent - but lower than the 53 per cent turnout during the landmark election in 2012 that brought the Georgian Dream to power. This data does not include expatriate voters.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili cast her ballot at the polling station in the #67 Public School of Tbilisi. She said she voted for "a new Georgia, for which I arrived in this country 22 years ago and my ancestors prayed for."

The leader of the United National Movement coalition Tina Bokuchava said she cast her vote for the European future of Georgia, and is convinced many will choose the same path.

Coalition for Change leader Nika Gvaramia echoed her, and predicted that the opposition would win the election.

Coalition Strong Georgia leader Mamuka Khazaradze said that “this is a crucial election for our country, I am sure that our country will make the right choice. This choice will be towards freedom, Europe, stable peace, and, most importantly, towards the real alternative."
Electronic scanners

It is the first time polling stations were equipped with electronic scanners at the ballot boxes, a new concept for many of them - and it resulted in some technical issues.

Georgian ruling party wins election, near-complete results show

Felix Light and Lucy Papachristou
Sun 27 October 2024





Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze speaks after the announcement of exit poll results in Tbilisi

TBILISI (Reuters) - Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party received more than 54% of the vote in a parliamentary election on Saturday, with more than 99% of precincts counted, the electoral commission said on Sunday.

The results is a blow to pro-Western Georgians, who had cast the election as a choice between a ruling party that has deepened ties with Russia, and an opposition that had hoped to fast-track integration with the European Union.

Several local and international monitoring organisations, including the Organisation for Scurity and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), are expected to comment on the results on Sunday.

Opposition parties said on Saturday that they do not recognise the results, with one opposition leader calling the results "a constitutional coup".

But Georgian Dream's reclusive billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, who had campaigned heavily on keeping Georgia out of the war in Ukraine, claimed success on Saturday night, with his party putting in its strongest performance since 2012 on the back of huge margins of up to 90% in some rural areas.

"It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation - this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people," Ivanishvili told cheering supporters on Saturday night.

Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream says it wants Georgia to join the European Union, though Brussels says the country's membership application is frozen over what it says is Georgian Dream's authoritarian tendencies.

One local monitoring organisation called for the results to be annulled, based on reports of voter intimidation and vote buying, but it did not immediately provide evidence of large-scale falsification.

Last week Moldova voted narrowly to approve its European Union accession in a vote that Moldovan officials said was marred by Russian interference.

(Reporting by Felix Light and Lucy Papachristou; Editing by David Goodman)


Georgia's ruling party wins election over pro-EU opposition

Sky News
Sun 27 October 2024 



Georgia's ruling party has won the country's general election, beating its pro-EU and pro-Western opposition.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) said the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has been in power for 12 years, had won 54% of the vote with more than 99% of precincts counted.

Both Georgian Dream and the opposition blocs trying to end its time in power portrayed the vote as an existential choice between moving towards the West - potentially by joining the European Union - or tightening ties with its regionally-dominant neighbour, Russia.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of Georgian Dream and a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia, has accused opposition parties of being "an agent of a foreign country that will only fulfil the tasks of a foreign country" - suggesting the West wants Georgia to go to war with Russia.

He also pledged to ban all pro-Western opposition groups if the party won a constitutional majority.

Mr Ivanishvili claimed victory almost immediately after polls closed, saying it was "rare in the world for the same party to achieve such success in such a difficult situation".

But the pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who has regularly criticised Georgian Dream, was among the opposition leaders who also claimed victory when competing exit polls were released, with some putting the opposition ahead.

Ms Zourabichvili earlier wrote on X that her bloc, European Georgia, had taken 52%, despite what she called "attempts to rigg (sic) elections".

Pictures were also published of opposition leaders celebrating, confirming their early confidence.

There were reports of voting irregularities and a video shared on social media on Saturday showed a man stuffing ballots into a box at a polling station in Marneuli.

Georgia's Interior Ministry said it launched an investigation and the CEC said a criminal case had been opened and that all results from the polling station would be declared invalid.

Sky News' international correspondent John Sparks, in the capital Tblisi, called it a "stunning result" and predicted many Georgians would find it "unbelievable", as after 12 years in power, a change of government had been widely expected.

The result spells a striking defeat for Ms Zourabichvili, a French emigre, who had made her number one priority "restarting talks with the European Union", Sparks said, while Mr Ivanishvili has moved his party "from being expressly pro-Western to an organisation that is more in line with Russia".

Brussels suspended the country's membership process after Georgian Dream passed laws restricting freedom of speech in the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million people.

The biggest opposition party, United National Movement, said its headquarters came under attack on polling day.

Georgian media also reported two people were taken to hospital after being attacked outside polling stations, one in the city of Zugdidi, the other in Marneuli, a town south of Tbilisi.

Protests have been taking place across the country after the result, with leading opposition figures, including the country's president Salome Zourabishvili, calling on supporters to take to the streets.

Georgia’s ruling party wins pivotal election, early results show, as opposition parties cry foul

Reuters
Sat 26 October 2024

Georgia’s most powerful man won a parliamentary election on Saturday, according to early official results, a victory which opposition politicians refused to recognize, alleging “falsification.”

The ruling Georgian Dream party’s billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opposition, and foreign diplomats had cast the election as a watershed moment that would decide if Georgia moves closer to the West or leans back towards Russia amid the war in Ukraine.

If confirmed, Georgian Dream’s victory would prove a blow to those Georgians who hope for closer integration with Europe in a vote billed as a choice between the West and Russia.

Early official results with 70% of precincts counted, representing the majority of votes cast, showed the ruling party had won 53% of the vote, the electoral commission said. The results do not include most ballots cast by Georgians living overseas.

Opposition parties contested the election results at a news briefing held in the early hours of Sunday and said they would not accept them.

“This is a constitutional coup,” said Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Coalition for Change opposition party, according to the Interpress news agency.

“The Georgian people have cast a vote for the European future of this country, and therefore we will not accept these falsified results published by the CEC (Central Election Commission),” said Tina Bokuchava, leader of the opposition United National Movement.

“We Vote,” a Georgian coalition of electoral observers, said it believed the results “do not reflect the will of the citizens of Georgia,” citing multiple reports of voter intimidation and vote buying.

“We will continue to demand the annulment of the results,” it said.

Rival exit polls gave sharply different projections for the election: The Georgian Dream-supporting Imedi TV channel showed the ruling party winning 56%. Exit polls by the pro-opposition channels showed major gains for the opposition parties.

Ivanishvili, Georgian Dream’s reclusive billionaire founder and onetime prime minister, claimed victory and praised the Georgian people.

“It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation – this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people,” Ivanishvili told cheering supporters.

Though Georgian Dream lost out to the combined opposition in parts of the capital, Tbilisi, it won margins of up to 90% in some rural areas.

Supporters of the Georgian Dream party celebrate at the party's headquarters after the announcement of exit poll results in Tbilisi on October 26, 2024. - Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters

The Georgian opposition initially also celebrated victory and some monitors reported election violations. But a parallel count operated by one of the opposition parties showed Georgian Dream in a strong position to win a majority.

Party representatives told Reuters they would be analyzing the results in the coming hours, but stopped short for the moment of alleging any falsifications.

Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s, came to power in 2012 advocating pro-Western views, alongside a pragmatic policy towards Russia.

He has since soured on the West, accusing a “Global War Party” of seeking to drag Georgia into war with Russia, even as he insists Georgia is on course to join the EU.

If victory for Ivanishvili’s party is confirmed, it would be a blow to the EU’s hopes of bringing more former Soviet republics into its orbit. Moldova on Oct. 20 voted by a very slim majority to support EU accession.

Russia had repeatedly signaled it wanted Georgian Dream to win, while accusing Western countries of undue interference in Georgian politics.

“The Georgians won. Well done!” said Margarita Simonyan, the editor of Russian state media outlet RT, which the United States has accused of trying to influence its own presidential election. There was no immediate comment from the EU.
Crucial vote

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili – a one-time ally of the ruling party turned fierce critic whose powers are mostly ceremonial – and independent domestic election monitors had alleged Georgian Dream was engaged in widespread vote-buying and other forms of electoral abuse in the lead-up to the vote.

The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), an independent Georgian electoral monitoring group founded in 1995, said it had documented numerous violations and instances of violence outside multiple polling stations.

Members of an election commission count ballots at a polling station after the parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Oct. 26, 2024. - Kostya Manenkov/AP

Video circulated on social media showing a man stuffing multiple ballots into a voting box in Marneuli, a city of some 25,000 south of Tbilisi. The votes were later declared invalid, a Central Election Commission spokesperson said, according to the Interpress news agency.

Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the chairman of the electoral commission, said the vote was peaceful and free, and said the election had taken place in accordance with international standards.
Change

Some opposition-minded Georgians told Reuters they were disappointed by the results.

Voter Irakli Gotsiridze said: “I’m very disappointed that these are the results. I don’t want to believe it.”

Georgia was once one of the most pro-Western states to emerge from the chaotic aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. The road leading from Tbilisi’s airport is named after former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Tbilisi’s relations with the West have taken a sharp downward turn. Unlike many Western allies, Georgia declined to impose sanctions on Moscow, while Georgian Dream’s rhetoric has become increasingly pro-Russian.

Georgian Dream has drawn the ire of its Western allies for what they cast as its increasingly authoritarian bent. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated Georgian Dream for an “overwhelming victory.”

Georgian Dream had campaigned hard on keeping Georgia out of the war in Ukraine, with campaign billboards contrasting pristine Georgian cities with devastated Ukrainian ones.

Sandro Dvalishvili, a 23-year-old Georgian Dream activist, told Reuters last week that Georgia would face “danger” if his party of choice was defeated at the polls.

“If it turns out that we don’t win, for me that’ll be very bad. Because I don’t see another force that will bring peace and stability to our country,” he said.

Ruling party set to win Georgia election amid opposition protests

Irakli METREVELI
Sat 26 October 2024 

Brussels has warned that the election will determine European Union-candidate's chances of joining the bloc (Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE) (Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE/AFP/AFP)


Georgia's ruling party claimed victory in a legislative election Saturday that the pro-western opposition denounced as a "constitutional coup" and could deal a new blow to the Caucasus country's hopes of joining the European Union.

If the partial results confirm the victory of the Georgian Dream party, the country could be heading for closer ties with neighbouring Russia.

Brussels has harshly criticised the Georgian Dream's policies and said the election would play a decisive role in Georgia's chances of joining the EU.

With votes from more than 70 percent of precincts counted, the central election commission said Georgian Dream was leading with 53 percent, while the main opposition union was on 38 percent.

That would give Georgian Dream 89 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the absolute majority it wants to make sweeping constitutional changes. Final results were expected on Sunday.

"Georgian Dream has secured a solid majority", the party's executive secretary, Mamuka Mdinaradze, told reporters.

Tina Bokuchava, leader of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), which campaigned on a pro-European platform, said however the results were "falsified" and the election "stolen".

"This is an attempt to steal Georgia's future," she said, insisting that the UNM did not accept the results. "We hope that the opposition will be united in all calls for action that will be announced in the hours to come."

Nika Gvaramia, leader of the Akhali party, called it a "a constitutional coup" by the government. "Georgian Dream will not stay in power," he said.

The opposition has staged mass demonstrations in recent months against what it says are government attempts to curtail democratic freedoms and steer the country of four million off its pro-Western course.

Rival exit polls published after voting ended had shown the ruling party and the opposition ahead.

Pro-opposition Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili hailed a victory for "European Georgia" despite "attempts to rig" the vote after one exit poll said the opposition won.

After another showed a win for the government, Georgian Dream's billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili hailed the party's "success" at a post-election rally where he pumped his fist in celebration.

"I assure you, our country will achieve great success in the next four years. We will do a lot," he said.

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is also friendly with Moscow, was quick to hail Georgian Dream's "overwhelming victory" on social media.

- Alleged voting violations -

Tbilisi voters had expressed diverging views over their country's future as they cast ballots.

"Of course, I have voted for Europe. Because I want to live in Europe, not in Russia. So, I voted for change," said Alexandre Guldani, an 18-year-old student.

But Giga Abuladze, who works in a kindergarten, said "We should be friends with Russia -- and Europe".

Opposition parties alleged incidents of ballot stuffing and intimidation during voting.

Zurabishvili said there had been "deeply troubling incidents of violence" at some polling stations.

One video circulated on social media showed a fight between dozens of men outside a polling station in suburban Tbilisi.

Another showed scuffles outside a Tbilisi campaign office of the UNM, whose founder ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili is in jail.

The were also videos of alleged ballot stuffing in the southeastern village of Sadakhlo.

- Anti-Western rhetoric -

In power since 2012, Georgian Dream initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda. But it has reversed course over the last two years.

Its campaign centred on a conspiracy theory about a "global war party" that controls Western institutions and is seeking to drag Georgia into the Russia-Ukraine war.

In a country scarred by Russia's 2008 invasion, the party has offered voters bogeyman stories about an imminent threat of war, which only Georgian Dream could prevent.

Russia still has military bases in two separatist regions.

Georgian Dream's controversial "foreign influence" law this year, targeting civil society, sparked weeks of street protests and was criticised as a Kremlin-style measure to silence dissent.

The move prompted Brussels to freeze Georgia's EU accession process, while Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Georgian officials.

The ruling party has also mounted a campaign against sexual minorities. It has adopted measures that ban LGBTQ "propaganda", nullify same-sex marriages conducted abroad, and outlaw gender reassignment.

im/dt/tw/tym

Partial results show Georgia's ruling pro-Russian party ahead in crucial vote

NEWS WIRES
Fri 25 October 2024  

Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, is set to win Saturday’s parliamentary election, according to partial results, but pro-Western opposition parties said the results were "falsified" and the election "stolen".

Georgia's ruling party claimed victory in a legislative election Saturday that the pro-western opposition denounced as a "constitutional coup" and could deal a new blow to the Caucasus country's hopes of joining the European Union.

If the partial results confirm the victory of the Georgian Dream party, the country could be heading for closer ties with neighbouring Russia.

Brussels has harshly criticised the Georgian Dream's policies and said the election would play a decisive role in Georgia's chances of joining the EU.

With votes from more than 70 percent of precincts counted, the central election commission said Georgian Dream was leading with 53 percent, while the main opposition union was on 38 percent.

That would give Georgian Dream 89 seats in the 150-member parliament -- enough to govern but short of the absolute majority it wants to make sweeping constitutional changes. Final results were expected on Sunday.

"Georgian Dream has secured a solid majority", the party's executive secretary, Mamuka Mdinaradze, told reporters.

Tina Bokuchava, leader of the opposition United National Movement (UNM), which campaigned on a pro-European platform, said however the results were "falsified" and the election "stolen".

Rival exit polls published after voting ended had shown the ruling party and the opposition ahead.


Georgia’s ruling party celebrates victory but it's unclear who will form next government

Euronews
Sat 26 October 2024 


Georgia’s ruling party is leading the official results of Saturday’s parliamentary election, a crucial vote which could decide the country’s future in Europe.

The ruling Georgian Dream party's leaders and supporters began celebrations in Tbilisi late Saturday.

The Central Election Commission in the South Caucasus country says Georgian Dream won 52.99% of the vote.

The CEC said the announcement was preliminary with the majority of the vote counted. Not all paper ballots and votes cast by Georgians abroad have been counted.

If Georgian Dream wins a parliamentary majority, it will stoke fears about the country’s bid for EU membership which was put on hold earlier this year by Brussels after the ruling party passed laws cracking down on freedom of speech.

However, Georgia’s opposition disputed results of the vote.

"We do not accept these falsified election results," Georgian opposition leader Tina Bokuchava said Saturday.

Bokuchava is the leader of opposition party United National Movement, part of the Unity National Movement coalition.

Opposition disputed the results after officials said the ruling party led the crucial vote which could decide whether the country pivots to embrace the West or falls back into Russia's orbit.

Georgian Dream stood against four main opposition groups, which indicated they did not accept the results. The opposition initially declared victory shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. local time (1600 GMT).


Georgia's ruling party wins pivotal election, early results show

Reuters Videos

Updated Sat 26 October 2024 

STORY: Georgia's most powerful man claimed victory in an election on Saturday, according to early official results.

With 70% of precincts counted, those results showed the ruling Georgian Dream party had won 53% of the vote, the electoral commission said. The results do not include most ballots cast by Georgians living overseas.

The Georgian opposition initially also celebrated victory... and some monitors reported election violations.

But a parallel count operated by one of the opposition parties showed Georgian Dream in a strong position to win a majority.

Though it lost out to the combined opposition in parts of the capital, Tbilisi, it won margins of up to 90% in some rural areas.

However, opposition parties are contesting the results and said they would not accept them, with the leader of the Coalition for Change party calling it a, quote, "constitutional coup," according to the Interpress news agency.

Georgian Dream's billionaire founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, the opposition, and foreign diplomats had cast the election as a watershed moment that would decide if Georgia moves closer to the West... or leans back towards Russia.

Ivanishvili told a crowd in Tbilisi that, quote, "It is a rare case in the world that the same party achieves such success in such a difficult situation - this is a good indicator of the talent of the Georgian people."

Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in the 1990s, came to power in 2012 advocating pro-Western views, alongside a pragmatic policy towards Russia.

He's since soured on the West, accusing a "Global War Party" of seeking to drag Georgia into war with Russia, even as he insists Georgia is on course to join the EU.

If victory for Ivanishvili's Dream party is confirmed, it would be a blow to the EU's hopes of bringing more former Soviet republics into its orbit.

ENEMY FROM WITHIN

Georgian ruling party founder vows to ban opposition at final pre-election rally

Lucy Papachristou and Felix Light
Wed, October 23, 2024 



Georgian ruling party stages final rally before general election

By Lucy Papachristou and Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) - The founder of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, doubled down on Wednesday on a pledge to ban opposition parties should his party clinch victory in a crucial parliamentary election this weekend.

If it wins a majority in parliament, Georgian Dream will


make opposition parties "answer with the full rigour of the law for the war crimes committed against the population of Georgia," Ivanishvili told a large pro-government rally in Tbilisi's central square. He did not specify what crimes they had committed.

Although rarely seen in public, the billionaire and one-time prime minister is widely viewed as the main powerbroker in the South Caucasus country of some 3.7 million.

Many thousands flooded down Tbilisi's main avenue and onto the central Freedom Square on Wednesday, although the crowd began to noticeably thin as Ivanishvili spoke. He addressed his supporters from behind bulletproof glass.

A senior Georgian Dream MP said before the rally on Wednesday that the party would organise transportation to the rally for a "significant" number of attendees, according to the Interpress news agency.

"I have been a supporter of Georgian Dream since the day it was founded," said Ramaz Giorgadze, who said he had come from the town of Tkibuli, some 150 miles (240 km) west of the capital.

"Thank God that he sent us such a man as Bidzina Ivanishvili," he said, praising the former prime minister's investments in several western Georgian towns.

Following Ivanishvili's speech, his eldest son, Bera, a rapper, performed his 2011 song "Georgian Dream," for which the party was originally named.

Ivanishvili issued his rallying cry three days before Georgians head to the polls in a parliamentary election that has come to be viewed as a test of whether the country returns to Russia's orbit or maintains its pro-Western orientation.

Days earlier, President Salome Zourabichvili - a fierce Georgian Dream critic - delivered a strong pro-EU message to a thousands-strong crowd of opposition supporters gathered in the same square.

Georgia was granted European Union candidate status last year, but relations have deteriorated rapidly since Georgian Dream passed a law on "foreign agents" in May that critics say is a sign it is tilting towards Moscow.

Tbilisi's main Western allies have responded by levying sanctions on top Georgian officials, withdrawing tens of millions of dollars in aid and freezing long-standing security and defence dialogues with Tbilisi.

Ivanishvili has cast Saturday's election as an existential fight to prevent a "Global War Party" in the West from pushing Tbilisi into direct conflict with Moscow - conspiracy theories on which he doubled down in an interview with Georgian television earlier this week.

In the winding 80-minute interview aired on Monday, Ivanishvili accused several opposition candidates of fomenting revolution and chaos in Georgia ahead of the elections.

He also assailed what he called "LGBT propaganda", claiming that in the West, parents force their children to undergo gender affirmation surgeries and "men's milk" is viewed as "the same as women's". A bill significantly curbing LGBT rights was signed into law in Georgia earlier this month.

Opinion polls show Georgian Dream remains the country's most popular party, though it has lost ground since 2020, when it won almost 50% of the vote and a narrow parliamentary majority.

(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou and Felix Light in Tbilisi; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Marguerita Choy)


Factbox-What's at stake in Georgia's election on Saturday?

Felix Light
Fri, October 25, 2024

A member of an electoral commission checks a ballot box at a polling station in Tbilisi


By Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) - The South Caucasus country of Georgia holds a parliamentary election on Saturday that pits a government seen as leaning increasingly towards Russia against an opposition that champions integration with the West.

Here's what to look out for.

HIGH STAKES POLLS

* The ruling party, Georgian Dream, is seeking a fourth term in office.

* A mountainous country of around 3 million people between Russia and Turkey, Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and has followed broadly pro-Western policies ever since.

* Many Georgians dislike Russia, which ruled the country for around 200 years and backs two rebel regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, that broke away from Tbilisi's control in the 1990s. Russia defeated Georgia in a five-day war in 2008.

RUSSIA VS WEST

* Georgian Dream has in the last two years shifted towards pro-Russian rhetoric, accusing Western countries of seeking to drag Georgia into war with Russia. It has also deepened ties with China.

* The party is dominated by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire ex-prime minister who is Georgia's richest man and is generally regarded as its most powerful person.

* Opinion polls show that Georgians are broadly supportive of joining the EU and NATO, but are also keen to avoid conflict with Russia, and deeply conservative on issues such as LGBT rights.

* Georgian Dream has campaigned on keeping Georgia out of the war in Ukraine.

* The election comes days after Moldovans narrowly approved EU accession, in a vote Moldovan authorities said was marred by Russia-backed meddling.

AUTHORITARIANISM AND PROTESTS

* Georgian Dream has passed a series of hotly contested bills, including a law requiring groups that receive funds from abroad to register as "foreign agents".

* Opponents staged mass demonstrations, describing the legislation as authoritarian and inspired by similar laws used to curb dissent in Russia.

* The bill caused a crisis in relations with the West, with the U.S. sanctioning several Georgians for human rights abuses and threatening to end aid to Tbilisi.

* Other legislation has clamped down on gay rights. Opponents say this also borrows from repressive laws in Russia.

SOURING ON THE WEST

* The European Union, which gave Georgia membership candidate status last December, has said Tbilisi's application is now frozen, and threatened to suspend visa-free travel for Georgians if this election is not free and fair.

* Georgian Dream's Ivanishvili has made overtures to Moscow, including considering an apology for Georgia's role in the brief 2008 war against Russia, even as his bloc says it still wants to join the EU and NATO.

* There is little reliable opinion polling. Surveys by pro-opposition media outlets show Georgian Dream losing its majority, while data from pro-government pollsters predicts the ruling bloc's strongest ever performance.

* Georgia's opposition parties are deeply divided, and have been unable to come to an agreement to contest the election together but hope to deprive Georgian Dream of a majority and form a coalition administration in its place.

(Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Gareth Jones)


Voters at loggerheads ahead of Georgia's 'front line' election

Fri, October 25, 2024 

Georgian ruling party stages final rally before general election


By Felix Light

TBILISI (Reuters) - Nana Malashkhia never planned to get into politics.

But the 48-year-old former civil servant shot to fame in Georgia during the 2023 protests against a law on so-called "foreign agents" after she was filmed waving a European Union flag whilst being blasted by a police water cannon.

The video made her an icon for opposition-supporting Georgians who worry that the foreign agent law will sabotage the country's chances of joining the European Union, and want to see its authors in the ruling Georgian Dream party voted out of office.

Now, having left her job at the Tbilisi mayor's office to dedicate herself to politics, Malashkhia is at the centre of a high-stakes election on Saturday as the top candidate for the Coalition for Change, one of the country's four main opposition parties.

"I am the sort of person who doesn't like publicity. But when I decided to enter politics, I got out of my comfort zone. Because I understood that this election is the front line," she told Reuters.

By contrast, 23-year-old Sandro Dvalishvili, a law graduate and Georgian Dream activist, said he believes that some anti-government protesters have been hoodwinked into rallying for causes they do not fully grasp.

"People of my age especially are easily influenced by others," he said. "And that's why the majority of those who went to protests didn’t know why they were there."

Georgia's politics have long been deeply polarised, with most major media outlets either explicitly pro-government or pro-opposition.

Opposition supporters often dub the ruling party "Russian Dream", accusing its founder, billionaire ex-prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, of harbouring sympathy for Georgia's vast northern neighbour and former imperial overlord.

Meanwhile, Georgian Dream accuses what it calls the "radical opposition" of being proxies for divisive former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is serving a six-year prison sentence for abuse of power, and of being sponsored by Western intelligence agencies.

During this campaign, Georgian Dream officials have repeatedly suggested they will ban opposition parties if they are returned to government.

Occasionally, the furious rhetoric tips over into violence. In April, an opposition member of parliament punched a Georgian Dream lawmaker in the face in parliament during a hearing on the foreign agents law, earning a beating in return.

On both sides, activists see this election as existential, with Georgia's democratic future, or its peace and stability at risk.

But above all, the shadow of geopolitics hangs over the election.

Critics at home and abroad have accused Georgian Dream of seeking to restore ties with Russia, which polls show most Georgians dislike, while deliberately tanking its chances of EU membership.

"Right now, what we have is a referendum. We are choosing between Europe and Russia," Malashkhia said.

For Malashkhia, EU membership is key to protecting Georgian sovereignty from Moscow, which ruled the country for 200 years, and continues to back separatists in two breakaway Georgian regions.

She said: "We can’t change our geography. Russia will always be next door. And that's exactly why we need to be with strong allies."

"And those strong allies are in the European Union."

But Sandro Dvalishvili, who outside politics also works as an actor, said that he feared that a victorious opposition's anti-Russian views could drag the country into war.

In 2008, Georgia lost a five-day war with Russia over the rebel province of South Ossetia, a defeat still raw today.

Georgian Dream has placed keeping the peace with Russia at the heart of its campaign. Around Tbilisi, billboards show pristine Georgian cities alongside devastated Ukrainian ones, above a caption reading "No to war! Choose peace".

Dvalishvili said: "Right now, some people don’t understand the danger they might face if we’re defeated."

"If it turns out that we don’t win, for me that’ll be very bad. Because I don’t see another force that will bring peace and stability to our country".

(Reporting by Felix Light; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Georgia prepares for a bitterly divided election which could determine its future in Europe

Euronews
Thu, October 24, 2024 at 9:51 p.m. MDT·1 min read


Georgia is heading to the polls on Saturday in a parliamentary election many citizens believe will be the most crucial vote of their lifetimes.

The election will pit a coalition of opposition parties against the ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ which many fear is dragging the nation towards authoritarianism and away from the European Union.

80% of Georgians favour joining the EU, according to polls, and the constitution demands leaders pursue membership of the EU and NATO.

Brussels put Georgia’s bid for entry to the EU on hold indefinitely in August after the ruling government passed a ‘Russian law’ cracking down on freedom of speech earlier this year.

Manu Georgians fear that if the ‘Georgian Dream’ party are re-elected, hopes of joining the EU could be permanently extinguished.

‘Georgian Dream’ argue it needed to curb harmful foreign actors trying to destabilize the country, but journalists and activists say it's true goal is to stigmatize them and restrict debate before the election.

Tens of thousands of Georgians marched on Sunday ahead of the election viewed as make-or-break for the chance to join the EU.

As well as the EU freezing membership talks, the U.K. suspended its security dialogue with Georgia and cancelled other defence talks, concerned about threats to democracy.